Celts -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Great Britain; Folklore -- Great Britain; Tales -- Great Britain
Away went the hawk a second time, and swiftly as Smallhead and the
King's son flew, the hawk was gaining on them. Seeing this Smallhead and
the King's son dropped down into a large village, and, it being
market-day, they made two heather brooms of themselves. The two brooms
began to sweep the road without any one holding them, and swept toward
each other. This was a great wonder. Crowds gathered at once around the
two brooms.
The old hag flying over in the form of a hawk saw this and thinking that
it must be Smallhead and the King's son were in it, came down, turned
into a woman, and said to herself:
"I'll have those two brooms."
She pushed forward so quickly through the crowd that she came near
knocking down a man standing before her. The man was vexed.
"You cursed old hag!" cried he, "do you want to knock us down?" With
that he gave her a blow and drove her against another man, that man gave
her a push that sent her spinning against a third man, and so on till
between them all they came near putting the life out of her, and pushed
her away from the brooms. A woman in the crowd called out then:
"It would be nothing but right to knock the head off that old hag, and
she trying to push us away from the mercy of God, for it was God who
sent the brooms to sweep the road for us."
"True for you," said another woman. With that the people were as angry
as angry could be, and were ready to kill the hag. They were going to
take the head off the hag when she made a hawk of herself and flew away,
vowing never to do another stroke of work for her sister. She might do
her own work or let it alone.
When the hawk disappeared the two heather brooms rose and turned into
doves. The people felt sure when they saw the doves that the brooms were
a blessing from heaven, and it was the old hag that drove them away.
On the following day Smallhead and the King's son saw his father's
castle, and the two came down not too far from it in their own forms.
Smallhead was a very beautiful woman now, and why not? She had the magic
and didn't spare it. She made herself as beautiful as ever she could:
the like of her was not to be seen in that kingdom or the next one.
The King's son was in love with her that minute, and did not wish to
part with her, but she would not go with him.
"When you are at your father's castle," said Smallhead, "all will be
overjoyed to see you, and the king will give a great feast in your
honour. If you kiss any one or let any living thing kiss you, you'll
forget me for ever."
"I will not let even my own mother kiss me," said he.
The King's son went to the castle. All were overjoyed; they had thought
him dead, had not seen him for seven years. He would let no one come
near to kiss him. "I am bound by oath to kiss no one," said he to his
mother. At that moment an old grey hound came in, and with one spring
was on his shoulder licking his face: all that the King's son had gone
through in seven years was forgotten in one moment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account